The following slides are excerpts from my 2021 Lenten Teaching/Reflections/Prayers and include resources for you to share with family and friends, with a goal of assisting with your Lenten Journey and ways on how you may share this journey with others. The resources include:

• Lenten Prayers and Devotions• 10 Tips for Making the Season More Meaningful• Families Can Make Lenten Memories• A list of 14 other ways to observe Lent• Instructions on how to Pray the Chaplet of the

Seven Sorrows of Mary during Lent.• An outline to Praying the Rosary during Lent.• Lenten Prayers, including a Prayer for Lenten Grace.• STATIONS OF THE CROSS INVITE

My Lenten prayer for you.

Teresa DiFalco - LENT 1

Lenten Prayers and Devotions

• Begin each morning with the prayer: "Lord, I offer you this day, and all that I think, and do, and say."• Attend Daily Mass as often as possible.

• Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.• Make the Stations of the Cross at home or in a parish celebration.

• Read Scripture for 10 minutes every day.• Pray the Seven Penitential Psalms (Psalm 6, 31, 50, 101, 129 and 142).

• Spend some time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.• Abstain from meat for an extra day or two each week.

• Listen to spiritual music or a spiritual speaker.• Keep a Lenten journal with your spiritual insights, special intentions, people you want to pray for, hurts

and disappointments that you want to offer up, and progress reports on your Lenten resolutions.

10 Tips for Making the Season More Meaningful

1. Slow Down - Set aside 10 minutes a day for silent prayer or meditation. It will revitalize your body and your spirit.

2. Read a good book - You could choose the life of a saint, a spiritual how-to, an inspirational book or one of the pope's new books.

3. Be kind - Go out of your way to do something nice for someone else every day.4. Get involved - Attend a Lenten lecture or spiritual program.5. Volunteer at your parish - Whether it's the parish fish fry, cleaning the church or helping with the food

drive, it will give you a chance to help others.6. Reach out - Invite an inactive Catholic to come with you to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday.7. Pray - Especially for people you don't like and for people who don't like you.8. Tune out - Turn off the television and spend quality time talking with family members or friends.9. Clean out closets - Donate gently used items to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.10. Donate — Google "Catholic Missions." Then pick one mission and decide how you can help by sending

money, clothing or supplies.

Families Can Make Lenten Memories

• Begin each morning with the prayer: "Lord, I offer you this day, and all that I think, and do, and say."• Attend Daily Mass as often as possible.

• Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.• Make the Stations of the Cross at home or in a parish celebration.

• Read Scripture for 10 minutes every day.• Pray the Seven Penitential Psalms (Psalm 6, 31, 50, 101, 129 and 142).

• Spend some time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.• Abstain from meat for an extra day or two each week.

• Listen to spiritual music or a spiritual speaker.• Keep a Lenten journal with your spiritual insights, special intentions, people you want to pray for, hurts

and disappointments that you want to offer up, and progress reports on your Lenten resolutions.

• Begin each morning with the prayer: "Lord, I offer you this day, and all that I think, and do, and say."• Attend Daily Mass as often as possible.• Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.• Make the Stations of the Cross at home or in a parish celebration.• Read Scripture for 10 minutes every day.• Pray the Seven Penitential Psalms (Psalm 6, 31, 50, 101, 129 and 142).• Spend some time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.• Abstain from meat for an extra day or two each week.• Listen to spiritual music or a spiritual speaker.• Keep a Lenten journal with your spiritual insights, special intentions,

people you want to pray for, hurts and disappointments that you want to offer up, and progress reports on your Lenten resolutions.

LIST OF 14 OTHER WAYS TO OBSERVE LENT1. Attend or participate in an Ask Wednesday service…

2. Read the Bible, to help madidate on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The Gospel of Mark focuses on the Cross.

3. Read Lenten Devotionals.

4. Fast from unnecessary purchases and instead, give the money to charity.

5. Give of yourself by reaching out to help the vulnerable, isolated, sick, lonely. A phone call can be a life line!

6. Do something for 40 days, not for yourself, but for others.

7. Fast from foods and beverages that are not good for you. Remembering, that you are a temple of God.

8. Fast from social media, and spend more time prayer.

9. Eliminate a bad habit, and be a support to others who do the same.

10. Pray the stations of the Cross, if not in church, perhaps with family or friends at home or virtually.

11. Make a works of mercy tree or box, write on a piece of paper your acts of mercy and hang/insert them.

12. Follow a Lenten Calendar, and check if off each day to help keep you on track with your dedications throughout Lent.

13. Light Lenten candles, arranged in the shape of a cross each week (see slide 13), and reflect on weekly scripture.

14. Take time at the end of each day to share time in intimate prayer time with God, mediate on the reflections listed on slide 7, and share with God the moment(s) you felt close to God, saying “Today I felt close to you God when…”

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How to Pray the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

• To pray this chaplet in memory of Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows, the custom is to pray the Our Father once, and then the Hail Mary seven times for each of the seven sorrows.

• It is suggested when praying the chaplet to say an Act of Contrition at the very beginning, in recognition of the role our sins had in Our Lady’s sufferings.

• At the very end, three Hail Marys should be prayed in honour of Our Lady’s tears followed by;

• V/. Pray for us, Virgin most sorrowful.

• R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of CHRIST.

• Let us pray.

• Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the most blessed Virgin Mary, thy Mother, may intercede for us before the throne of thy mercy, now and at the hour of our death, whose most holy soul was transfixed with the sword of sorrow in the hour of thine own Passion. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Saviour of the world, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.

• Amen.

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Praying the Rosary for Lent• 1. Pray the first decade of the rosary for the intentions of your prayer life during Lent. Then, spend a few moments

determining what you will do—something reasonable, like a daily rosary, short prayer aspirations throughout the day, or praying some parts of the Liturgy of the Hours.

• 2. Pray the second decade for the intentions of your life of penance during Lent. Then, spend a few moments determining what you will do: eat less food or less-rich food (perhaps the traditional abstinence from meat or animal products), spend less time in sleep (even just getting up when your alarm goes off a quarter hour earlier than usual to start the day with an act of penance), allow yourself less of other comforts like long hot showers or an extra pillow in bed. None of these would kill us, and they help to remind us of the reality of penance when the body joins the soul’s prayer in longing for God.

• 3. Pray the third decade for the intentions of your works of mercy during Lent. Then spend a few moments thinking of those in need that you personally could help by your presence, like the sick or shut-ins or prisoners Your communication (phone call, email, card) does not have to be long, but it can be really life-giving to those who are bedridden or alone. Or just resolve to listen to others when you are inclined to be impatient, and never omit some alms, real money for the support of the needy.

• 4. Pray the fourth decade for the souls of the faithful departed. Yes, in prayer, penance, and works of mercy most of all, don’t forget those poor souls in purgatory. You can help them immensely, since all of the other works described above can be offered for their release, and all of these works have at least partial indulgences attached to them which may be applied to the departed. Mary loves souls who give up the satisfactory value of their good works and prayers for the dead. This Lent, make some new friends in the other world! You may need such help yourself someday, so follow the Golden Rule.

• 5. Then pray the fifth decade for the grace of persevering in your resolution(s). And remember that, persevering often means starting over again when we break our resolve. This willingness to start over is perhaps the best fruit of our Lenten discipline. Our Lady tells us, as did our earthly mothers, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” That’s the secret of Lent when we allow ourselves to prepare with the help of our Blessed Mother. Then we will be happy to say come Easter, “Queen of Heaven, rejoice!”

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LENTEN PRAYERS

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STATIONS OF THE CROSSSisters that Pray Together, Stay Together

Please join me, along with members of the Hamilton Diocesan Executive Team and members of my Spiritual Development Committee, as we gather by ZOOM (computer or phone) on Friday evenings at 7pm, to pray the Stations of the Cross. Some people are either restricted, unable or uncomfortable leaving their homes during COVID-19, yet long to pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent with others. We welcome you to join us, as sisters who pray together-stay together! We are gathering to pray Stations of the Cross on the following Fridays at 7pm:

• Friday, March 5, 2021

• Friday, March 12, 2021

• Friday, March 19, 2021

• Friday, March 26, 2021

• GOOD FRIDAY, April 2, 2021

We will pray a different version of the Stations of the Cross each Friday.

Login / dial in information has been shared by email and can also be found on our website.

LET US PRAY…

Dear God,

You willed that Mary be at the Foot of the Cross, sharing in the sacrifice of Your Son. Grant, that through her intercession, we may bear within ourselves the image of

Christ Crucified and Risen, and spend ourselves with untiring charity for the good

of our brothers and sisters, through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Dear Friends,

May our Blessed Mother Mary guide your heart during your Lenten Journey, and may her

discipleship, faithfulness, gusto and humbleness be a model and inspiration for you, especially as she stands weeping at the at the

foot of our Saviour’s Cross. May the blessing of hope and faith of the risen Lord accompany all of us on our Lenten journey towards the light

of Christ at the Easter Vigil.

Stay tuned for more spiritual development opportunities.

Blessings and hugs,

Teresa

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